Replaced Texan
 

I don't say that about you, but I might not be one of them if you only define it as people who say this about you.

I have beliefs that are often consistent with theirs.

Pro-Life, anti-death penalty (as a general matter, and absolutely for juvenilles and the mentally handicapped), almost entirely opposed to social programs except those that truly help the blameless and helpless (children, handicapped).

But for every Democrat they help on a national level, they manage to motivate me and a lot, lot of people like me on a few core issues.

For Bush, I have to overlook Rummy, spending (ALL KINDS OF SPENDING), occasional allies like DeLay, stupid civil-union bans (fairness issue, not moral issue), etc.

End of the day, there are only a few things that really matter to me.

Abortion. Ending public housing (anyone catch the article in today's NYT-New York Area section re: huge cuts proposed again in housing assistance for midwest and northeastern cities?). Keeping a truly independent U.S. Attorney in place in the N.D. of Illinois. Ending the asbestos scam (anyone catch today's WSJ article/column saying trial lawyers will end up owning 70 of America's largest companies and will use them to fund the Democratic party forever?).

And I'll eliminate any 3 of those issues (I'll even let you, LDE or RT choose which ones to eliminate) if we can just convince someone, anyone, to run on a platform of raising the gas tax nationally by $5.00 and drastically increasing infrastructure spending for mass transit.

Anyhoo, I'm just saying. Some Ds might get motivated to vote when they see some of the more extreme members of the Social conservatives. But some people with social conservative tendencies wouldn't otherwise have too much to use to tell Bush and a lot of Ds apart if it weren't for the social conservative stuff.

And the Senate count sorta tells me that the Rs are on the right path, though my conscience tells me we still have a lotta stuff to sort out... like the death penalty record.

opportunity costs
 

I thought it was your wife who ate children.

opportunity costs
 

I was talking about aluminum tubes, not vans, Hank. If you think your kid is doing drugs, you don't bust him for having a keychain.

opportunity costs
 

you sound like Atticus or John Kerry or something-

I actually parent teens, the Bushes have actually cleaned up terrorist states- you can't give advice to either of us.

opportunity costs
 

Afghanistan I give you, if you're referring to the Kabul metropolitan area. Please remember, though, that there were no links between Al Qaeda and Iraq. No wonder your kids feel like they can't talk to you.

opportunity costs
 

Congrats, you have made the ignore list. I can't promise not to click in times of boredom, but I thought you would want to know that your sheer idiocy and nonresponsiveness and willful assholosity finally pushed you over the line.

opportunity costs
 

Though I mostly agree that fringey is mainly correct about this, I still love you, Hank.

opportunity costs
 

I just sent fringey a pm suggesting she edit- now that you've quoted it you'll have to work with her to edit or else. i won't put her on ignore- I'll put her on the ggg/nfh list- guardez fringe.

the answer is blowin in the wind
 

You don't need to be a weatherman to tell which way the wind blows.

Replaced Texan
 

I think that there are three issues that really hurt the Republicans:

1) Abortion: Most americans are not for making abortion illegal in the first trimester. This is a tough issue because the Democrats at least in California beat us over the head with it. Most Americans agree that Abortion is a bad thing, and would like like to see abortions decreased but making it illegal is not the practical course. The tough question is: If you make abortions illegal, how many years in prison do you give a woman who has had an abortion? I have never heard an effective political answer to that question in a political debate. As long as we don't push for making Abortion legal in the first trimester we are fine, once you cross that line there go the votes.

2) Guns: Assault weapons. If it is reasonable to make mahine guns legal why not assault weapons? What about armour piercingi bullets? The majority of Americans do not see the need to keep assault weapons nor armour piercing bullets legal.

2) Contraception: With 67% of teenagers sexually active, supressing contracpetion education just seems ridiculous. The majority seems to agree with that.

3) Televangalism: Every time you mix money, crass advertising and merchandizing with religion it makes a lot of people uncormfortable. Having these guys all support the GOP is harmful to the GOP image

As far as the Death Penalty is concerned that is one issue that does not hurt Republicans. You may be against it but that issue has been used by Republican in California to defeat Democrats. The Dems have simply stopped running ant-death penalty candidates statewide because it causes them so many problems.

Replaced Texan
 

Uh, 1 2 2 3? god.

Replaced Texan
 

I thought David Brooks was full of shit last weekend when he said that conservatives spent more time on their philisophical roots than the Democrats, but this post has me reconsidering.

TaxWonk cleared
 

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,152934,00.html

Turns out TW was just free-speeching. And to think we lost Penske over this......

• Man's Conviction for Threatening Bush Nixed
  Saturday, April 09, 2005
  
  SAN FRANCISCO — A federal appeals court Friday overturned an inmate's conviction for writing a crude, rambling letter endorsing President Bush's death at the hands of terrorists — two weeks after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
  
  The letter from Oregon State Penitentiary prisoner Jonathan Lincoln, who was charged with threatening the president and given an 18-month sentence last year, read, in part: "You will die too George W Bush real Soon they Promised That you would Long Live Bin Laden."
  
  Corrections officials intercepted the letter; Lincoln had been serving a 46-month sentence for robbery.
  
  A unanimous three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the letter was protected under the First Amendment, calling it "Lincoln's crude and offensive method of stating a political opposition to the president." The court noted "such political hyperbole does not constitute a 'threat."'

*I just mean a wish for death, as I recall, TW's post was not rambling or crude.

dose of bias for the weekend
 

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N05552850.htm

From reuters- al Jazeera-lite:

• Cameraman for CBS wounded by U.S. troops in Iraq
  
  
  NEW YORK, April 5 (Reuters) - An Iraqi freelance cameraman who works for CBS News was shot and wounded on Tuesday in northern Iraq by U.S. troops who mistook his camera for a weapon, the U.S. military and CBS News said.

Oh no! how could we be shooting Cameramen? that's not behaving like we'd want the US to behave, is it Ty?

But wait-

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...ter_detained_1

• U.S. Military: Cameraman Detained in Iraq
  
  BAGHDAD, Iraq - A cameraman carrying CBS press credentials was detained in Iraq earlier this week on suspicion of insurgent activity, the U.S. military said Friday.
  
  
  The cameraman suffered minor injuries Tuesday during a battle between U.S. soldiers and suspected insurgents, the military said. He was standing next to an alleged insurgent who was killed during the shootout, the statement said.

Oh- standing next to insurgants can get you shot, that's a little more understandable.

• on Friday, the military said the cameraman was detained because there was probable cause to believe he posed "an imperative threat to coalition forces."
  
  "He is currently detained and will be processed as any other security detainee," the statement said.
  
  CBS News spokeswoman Leigh Farris said, "We're looking into the situation."
  
  A spokesman for Task Force Freedom, Capt. Mark Walter, said the reporter suffered minor wounds and was with "a number of people" involved in the shootout.
  
  Walter said the reporter was detained immediately after the incident, in part because of statements from witnesses to the battle.
  
  Officials are investigating the man's previous activities as well as "his alleged support of anti-Iraqi insurgency activities," the statement said.

lgf asks the question: when he was an innoccent he "worked for CBS", and not that he might not be, he's just carrying credentials?

Doesn't Reuter's proof its stories? This seems somehow inconsistant.

dose of bias for the weekend
 

Just to add in a bit more, according to one story in the major media this morning, his camera had footage of 4 roadside bombings that all indicated he was prewarned and prepositioned for each such that he could set up in a suitable location to take the video from before the time the bombings were taped.